A case study of campus‐based flexible learning using the World Wide Web and computer conferencing

This paper explores the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) integrated with computer conferencing as a teaching and learning tool. The aim of the study described was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of online materials designed in a flexible learning format and integrated with a computer conference. It was hoped that this would create additional opportunity for group discourse between campus‐based students. The paper is divided in the following way: a discussion of the context to new developments in teaching and learning is followed by an introduction to the case study. Finally the findings of the case study are discussed with reference to research from the field of collaborative systems (Orlikowski, 1992; Grudin, 1994) as a framework for reflection. Some tentative conclusions are made for future work